Clash
by MontanaOakley
Summary: A simple trip to a campground far away from home was supposed to be fun and an escape for Gabriella with three of her friends, but wound up turning into something so much more. TxG, CxS
1. Island

**"I'll sport a smile, take in some color  
Under the stars, I'll be your lover  
With no distractions I'm gonna treat you right  
Well it seems like things are only getting better  
Well it seems like we can never catch a break  
Just a keep a hold on me don't let go  
If you float away, if you float away  
Waiting too long for a ship to come  
Don't you float away, don't you float away"**

THE STARTING LINE, ISLAND

The cooing noise that was supposed to resemble those of an owl jarred her from her act of faking sleep, her eyes snapping open as a mischievous smile played on her lips. Silently slipping out from under her thin bed sheets, she slipped her feet into the sandles that she had laid out by her bed hours before. The escape had been planned perfectly, down to every last consideration, dodging every bullet that could have been thrown her way. Searching the dark room for her bag that she'd had prepared, her hand clutched onto it almost immediately, having known exactly where she'd placed it.

Another cooing sounded off, signaling that she was taking too much time, the seconds ticking away. Where in the world had she placed her sleeping bag? Something so simple she could not believe she overlooked. She had thought she had everything planned and ready to go. She could have sworn that she had it next to her duffle bag, all prepared for the long night ahead, stashed behind her bed so that her parents would not notice that she had bags packed to go somewhere.

Suddenly, she froze in her spot, the sound of the sliding screen door making her heart leap in her chest. Her breathing became haggard and sharp as she was filled with fear and anticipation that she could feel on her fingertips. She didn't dare to turn around but couldn't help but start to scream when a hand clamped over her mouth, pulling her back into the chest of a stranger.

"Relax," an all too familiar voice whispered into her ear, calming her instantly. She could almost feel his lips on her ear, he was entirely too close. When the hand retreated back to the side of its owner, she chose to turn around and glare dangerously at her surprise visitor.

"This wasn't apart of the plan, Troy," Gabriella scolded, her heart finally returning to it's normal rate. Troy let out a small laugh as she blew her fringe from her eyes, always annoyed when someone went off course from what she had originally scheduled. Controlling and defiant, she was Gabriella, the same brown-eyed girl he had known since he was only kindergarten.

He rolled his eyes. "You shouldn't have been taking so long then. Chad's idiotic bird call is only _so_ convincing," he said sarcastically, letting his sapphire eyes adjust to the pitch-black room, scanning over her frame. She had been wearing a pair of white shorts, a black tank top and flip-flops as well. "What are you even waiting for? You look ready to me."

"I can't find my sleeping bag," She groaned, annoyed as she crouched down on her carpet, letting her hands roam underneath of her bed, hoping that maybe they'd stumble across the missing sleeping bag.

Shaking his head, Troy took a hold of her duffle as she crawled around the floor, heaving the bag over his shoulder and sliding through the door that he had come in through. Standing on her balcony, he peered downward where Chad stood underneath, waiting to catch Gabriella's bag. On the count of three, the bag landed into Chad's arms and was soon loaded in the back of his van.

"Any day Bolton," Chad called, his anxiety shining through in his voice, worrying that somehow, they'd be caught in the least obvious way. Maybe her dog would wake up and begin barking. The labrador-retriever had never liked him. Maybe her dad was still awake, waiting to spring out of bed at the sound of a pin dropping on the floor. Every possible scenario was playing in his head like a strip of film. Though Chad was the clown of the group, always joking or getting himself into some kind of trouble, this 'mission', as Troy had called it, was keeping him on his toes and he was not necessarily liking the feeling.

Troy crept back into the room, his impatient posture warning Gabriella that they did not have too much time to be searching for missing sleeping bags. "You can just share with me," he suggested, trying to think of anyway to get them out of the house. He felt as though it were a time bomb or a land mine, waiting to go off at any given moment.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you," She shot back, disapproving the suggestion.

Of course, she had say no, Troy thought, shaking his head stupidly. He had messed things up between them when they had been only fifteen. Now, three years later, the grudge still seemed to remain at the most random times. "I can't find it," Gabriella said, exasperated, kicking at a shirt that had been on discarded on her floor in pure frustration.

Enough was enough.

"Either you keep searching and we get caught here or you get over yourself and we leave," Troy stated ignoring the look of desperation on his friend's face. "Or you know what?" He asked rhetorically. "I will carry you out of right here, right now."

"I'll scream."

"You wouldn't, you'd give us all away."

She seemed to stop to consider this. "No…Sharpay and Chad would be able to get away…my parents would only figure that the creepy neighbor boy had somehow managed to sneak in while we were all sleeping."

"You wouldn't," Troy paused, second guessing himself. "They wouldn't, both Sharpay and Chad and your parents.."

Troy knew her phases. She was a bitch when she wanted to be and would stop at nothing to get her way. He believed that she got that from her best friend, Sharpay Evans. "This isn't a negotiation, Montez," He said coldly.

She opened her mouth to retaliate but was quickly cut off, the same hand recovering her mouth, just as it had about ten minutes before. He pulled her towards him, one hand over her mouth while the other wrapped around her waist, preventing her from making any further movement. Troy tried to ignore the infuriated look that was showing in her dark eyes, preparing for the onslaught he'd receive once they got out of there. Shutting the balcony door behind them, he hadn't thought of what he would do next. Contemplating whether or not he should just throw her over the edge, he laughed to himself. He uncovered her mouth, swinging his leg over the side of the railing that encased the balcony.

"What..?" Gabriella whispered.

"Follow me down," Troy said in a hushed voice, transferring from the balcony's railing to the tree beside it, climbing down until his feet hit the ground, just as he had done many times before. Swallowing a large gulp of air as if she could swallow her fear, Gabriella braced herself on the outside of the railing, refusing to look down at Troy who was now stationary on the ground, waiting for her.

"Now you reach for the tree…" Troy said in an amused tone, chiding her to continue.

"You know that I am terrified of heights."

"And you know that no matter how annoyed I am with you, I won't let you kill yourself."

"But I know-"

"Nothing," Troy finished curtly. "You know that you're fucking up the plan, that's what you know."

If looks could kill, the one written on Gabriella's face would murder him where he was standing, instantly and tragically. "Always have to be difficult and dangerous," She mumbled, her leg swinging over the side of the railing, mimicking his movement moments before. Gabriella chewed her bottom lip, feeling cowardly as she was now mentally cursing herself for looking at the ground before she reached for the old oak tree's branch that could provide her with some leverage and eventually help her place her feet safely on the ground.

"I am really beginning to believe that Sharpay is rubbing off on you." Troy called up once more, waiting impatiently, glancing back and forth, nervous that they'd soon be caught. Once she was close enough to the ground, she extended her arm, her hand searching for his, expecting him to help her and to be there. He always was, always had been.

In a matter of seconds, the two were quietly settling into the backseat of Chad Danforth's van, closing the door as lightly as possible. "It's about time, Dumb and Dumber," The boy that could be identified miles away because of his large hair said halfheartedly, tapping on the steering wheel with a smile as he felt the weight and anticipation of being caught, lifted from his shoulders.

"Montez had to find a way to screw up."

"Shove it, Bolton."

"Now, now, kids, play nice," Sharpay called tiredly from the passenger seat, letting out a yawn, her head resting against the cold window of the van. Gabriella watched as Chad's free hand reached for Sharpay's, fingers lacing instinctively. East High's golden couple.

They were random, thrown together by fate. Sharpay Evans was the president of the drama club, the drama queen, and the girl envied by every girl in the student body. She came off icy at first to most, but Gabriella had known her throughout her entire life, and couldn't help but love her.

Chad Danforth on the other hand was the kid in the class who would sit in the corner with a dunce cap in their younger years. He'd never been one to take things seriously. He had his serious moments though and they came around most frequently when he was on the court playing basketball. Serious and safe, he was Chad Danforth with the catch phrase of 'if you're going to live on the edge, at least wear a seat belt'.

Together, they were wild, weird, and well…_perfect_. Gabriella let out a small sigh, leaning back in her seat to make herself a bit more comfortable, her eyes catching Troy's looking at the same thing that she had been staring at, the hands of Sharpay and Chad. Had he been thinking exactly what she had?

Troy noticed this too, his face gaining a bit of color, coughing awkwardly, a fake attempt at clearing his throat. Rolling her eyes, Gabriella turned to look out the car window, ignoring the light conversation among her friends in the car, her mind drifting back two years ago, like it had sometimes without her control, as if it were impulsive.

_Troy's home._

_The two words rang in her ear like loud church bell, signaling her to prepare to see him again. Did he forget? She hastily fixed her hair, fluffing it over her shoulders and then touching up her makeup. Smoothing out her shirt, she wondered if Troy would notice that she had definitely 'grown up' over the summer. It was about time she hit puberty, though, she thought with a smile, ready to present the 'twins' for the first time. _

_She was out the front door in a rush, her hair still wet from coming out of the pool, her skin tan and shining in the sun. Gabriella had waited all summer for Troy to return from basketball camp. All summer long, she'd missed her neighbor, her best friend, her lifeline. _

Remembering the day clearly, she hoped that it had meant something to Troy as well, the day before he'd left for summer camp.

"Troy."

His name had sounded soft with her voice, spoken quietly against the chirping crickets, the cool summer air barely stirring around them. It had been at least a half of an hour since the rest of their friends had headed home, initially leaving Gabriella and Troy to have some alone time.

Turning to face her, he rolled on his side, noticing that her breathing was at a quicker pace than it usually was, her chest rising and falling rapidly. She was laying on her back, her head held high to the sky as if she were looking for the stars to spell something, anything out for her.

"What is it?" Troy's side was turned inwards, toward her, though it didn't matter since it seemed she would not make eye contact with him.

"I love you."

She couldn't believe she had managed to say it without choking, gasping for breath. She was in complete shock, stunned in the complete and utter silence besides the background melody of the bugs that were singing to each other.

Without hesitating or even considering what Gabriella had said, Troy responded with a simple, "I love you too," adding a shrug.

He did not understand, he just couldn't have, Gabriella knew. She turned towards him, biting her lower lip, a nervous habit that she possessed. "No…"

"What do you mean, no?"

Troy was beyond adorable when he quirked his eyebrow in confusion.

"I am in love with you, Troy. I think I have been since I was five, to be honest," She said, exhaling a long breath. This was so much easier than what she had expected…maybe because she felt as though she were only confiding in her best friend, like she always had done. "I know we're friends, the best of friends…hell, we grew up together." She paused, looking for a sign of any emotion on Troy's face. She couldn't find a single one. Gabriella did not know if that was a bad sign or a good sign. She sighed, "I just can't keep this to myself anymore. You know how I get when I keep things to myself. I lose my mind. Troy, I'm losing myself."

When Troy woke up that morning, he'd expected one of many things.

He had expected to finish his packing.

He had expected to see an outdoor movie with Chad, Sharpay and Gabriella, and then head back to his house to hang out afterward.

He had expected to eat, to stuff his face with his favorite food in Albuquerque before he could not get it anymore.

Not once had ever in a million years thought that those words would come from Gabriella's mouth. He had been given no warning, no indication that this was coming. How could he have known the right response to this? Troy blinked slowly, as if that would clear his mind. When he reopened his blue eyes, his best friend still lay in front of him, waiting for something.

"Oh."

_He'd apologized the next day, once he was at camp and at a safe distance. Troy made a promise, a promise that they would talk about everything when he returned home, that way it'd be more personal that a phone call or text messages. Gabriella had thought that this was a good thing. All she wanted was to see his face again…_

_She was greeted pleasantly by Mae Bolton, Troy's mother, just as she always had throughout her life. She'd told her that Troy was with a few friends by the pool and that she was welcomed to join them, figuring that he would be delighted to see his friend.  
_

_Inhaling a deep breath before she opened the sliding door that would take her to the Bolton's backyard, Gabriella made small baby steps, feeling more vulnerable and exposed than ever. What had she been thinking, going alone? The least she could have done was invite Sharpay for some kind of support. No, she warned herself. This is all you, she thought, no one else but you. _

_The first few people that she recognized were Jason Cross, a member of Troy's basketball team and of course, Chad Danforth and his infamous hair. He waved to her immediately, heaving himself out of the pool to engulf her in an unnecessary bear hug, water seeping through her tank top and jean shorts. Chad seemed the read the question that lingered in Gabriella's eyes._

_"He's around," Chad told her with a wry grin._

_Shit, Gabriella cursed herself mentally. Chad knew. She'd never live this down. Letting her eyes venture further into the 'gathering', Gabriella noticed a few cheerleaders…the girls of the school that she despised and they did not care for her either. It had completely slipped her mind that the basketball team and the cheerleaders usually went away to the same summer training camp. She almost laughed out loud, feeling sorry for Troy and Chad since that had to deal with these girls all summer long.  
_

_"Troy, your neighbor's here," one of the processed blondes shouted over the noisy splashing and obnoxious boys hollering. _

_Neighbor..Gabriella thought to herself. She considered herself many things to Troy but never had she called herself the obvious…his neighbor. _

_"Troy!" The same girl called again, her whiney voice annoying Gabriella already, and she'd only begun talking. _

_It was then when Gabriella had seen it. The tangled hands, the frantic lips…Troy, her Troy, pressed against a cheerleader. His caramel hair, now lighter from being in the sun was tousled and his sun kissed skin looked flushed. Not just any cheerleader was wrapped around him…no, he had to choose Nicole Mendelson, the prettiest and most perfect of the bunch. She was the 'it' girl. Good grades, true friends, the looks. More importantly, she was everything that Gabriella could not be. _

_The walls were closing in on her, it was all happening so fast. She felt dizzy and suddenly, the Bolton's huge backyard became entirely too small. Gabriella could feel the bile rising in her throat, the pricking sensations behind her eyes, and the voice in her head telling her how stupid she had been, thinking that she stood a chance. She'd never been more embarrassed in her life. _

_It did not take him too long to notice that she was there; she was out of place, the crooked puzzle piece that didn't fit there. He parted from Nicole for a moment, the same blank look on his face that he had given her the night before he had left for camp. _

_Chad had caught on to what was going on now, trying to find something to say to make this better for his two friends. "Troy, Gabs is here," He said, trying to sound cheery but it came out sounding like a joke, the exact opposite that he was aiming for. _

_"Oh."_

_Oh. That's all he could say. Oh. _

_Even though her world was shattered, her heart was breaking and her head was pounding, the music continued to play, the laughter never subsiding. Gabriella was in living hell. _

_"Lauren this is my-" Troy went to introduce them. _

_Gabriella's mouth hung open. Did he honestly believe she'd welcome this girl with open arms, ask her to go shopping with her, share her secrets with her? "Neighbor," She cut him off, coldly, watching as he flinched slightly, surprised by her harsh voice. "Neighbor," she repeated. "Just wanted to stop in and say hi, I'll leave, I feel as though I'm imposing," Gabriella barely managed to speak, turning and walking quickly out the gate, ignoring his calls for her. _

_She had refused to cry and yet, she still felt the acidic tears on her cheeks, her pulse she could feel in her fingertips. A sturdy arm wrapped around her shoulders and she knew she was not alone. Chad Danforth, her irreplaceable friend. He hugged her, awkwardly at first, letting her cling with all her might as she simply cried, trying to forget, allowing herself to let go. How stupid she had been, how vulnerable, she'd never go back to that, she refused to. She needed a way out, a safety. _

_The only problem was...her lifeline,Troy Bolton. _

The gentle shaking of her shoulders had brought her back to life. "Wake up, we're switching shifts," Troy told her, laughing as she groggily pushed him away. "I will drag you out."

"I'm perfectly capable of walking out myself," Gabriella snapped, catching him of guard, a small frown coming onto his features, both of them knowing that she had meant something completely opposite from switching seats in a car.

The gang had pulled into a gas station for two things, food and a bathroom breaks. After a few minutes of bickering in front of the cash register, Chad and Sharpay finally returned and got comfortable in the backseat, ready to eat and then sleep while Troy drove the rest of the way to their final destination. Gabriella had been kicked out of the back seat and into the passenger seat so that Sharpay could 'properly stretch out her legs' or at least that was what she had whined. Now, two hours later, Gabriella was starting to believe that she would not survive the rest of the car ride.

"_Lend me some sugar_!" Troy had been singing to himself, a steering wheel drummer, off in his own world. "_I am your neighbor_," He laughed his head falling backwards and though Gabriella was slightly amused, she would never let Troy know of it.

Instead, she rolled her eyes as he bellowed the chorus of 'Hey Ya'. "Can you please keep it down, you're going to wake them and I really am in no mood to here Sharpay's bitching."

"Could you drop the attitude?" Troy asked, still all smiles as the old song came down to its final lyrics, the new song unfamiliar, causing him to frown because he couldn't sing along.

"Attitude?"

"You've had one since we busted you out of confinement."

"I didn't need your help," Gabriella said bitterly, drawing her knees to her chest and hugging them close. "I'm perfectly capable of being on my own, believe me." Her eyes tried to make out the passing figures in the darkness outside. Tree. Tree. Tree.

Troy sighed, knowing that arguing with her would get him absolutely nowhere. "I figured I'd come check to see if everything were alright, that's all."

"You didn't before," She mumbled, her mind wandering back to the dream she had, the dream that was more like a nightmare from the past.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." Gabriella reached out, turning the radio's volume a bit higher, hoping that would end the conversation entirely. With her luck, Sir Mix-a-Lot's song "Baby got back" began to pump through the stereo, leaving Troy smiling like a child on Halloween who had just hit the mother-load of all candy.

The lyrics began obnoxiously pouring from his lips as he practically bounced in the seat, swaying with the beat of the song.

"You would know all the words to this song," Gabriella groaned, having to hear his off-pitch singing. "Pig."

"Spare me," Troy chuckled, "You probably know all of the words as well, prude."

"I am not a prude."

"Then stop being so uptight," He said lightly, trying his hardest not to let Gabriella's sour mood rub off on him, but he couldn't help but let the little immature kid inside of him shine through. "Prude," Troy said the word slowly, letting it roll off of his tongue in a teasing manner.

She glared, her mocha eyes lighting up as if dancing with fire. "I am not."

"You don't have to defend yourself."

Inside, Troy really did not want her to. For some reason, he didn't want to know of Gabriella's past with anyone else. He found it unnecessary information that made him extremely uncomfortable.

Pushing some hair over her shoulder, Gabriella turned in her seat to face him, her face contorted with anger. "I am not, I-"

"Shit! Was I supposed to turn there?" Troy exclaimed suddenly, stopping Gabriella mid sentence, preventing her from finishing her unwanted statement.

She turned to look behind them, the darkness was a benefit to Troy since it kept her from seeing his untruth, that there was no road that he could have possibly turned on to. "Turn where?" Gabriella asked, forgetting that she was about to prove Troy wrong.

"Never mind, I think we are good." He added a fake relieved sigh, his hand going back to the volume dial. "_Little in the middle but she got much back_…" His voice trailed off as he glanced over to see Gabriella's eyes set on him as if she were studying a book intently, trying to find a hidden meaning. "What?" His voice came off as apprehensive. Coughing, Troy attempted to cover it up.

Gabriella shook her head slowly, breaking herself out of some kind of trance. "Nothing, nothing at all," Gabriella said as she begun turning to look out the window once more, not seeing anything that particularly interested her.

"Hey," Troy's free hand landed on her knee, squeezing gently. "Lighten up, would you?"

She immediately put up her shield, like a force field whenever he touched her. She wouldn't make the same mistake twice; letting those feelings for him resurface. Moving her hand to bat his away, Troy reacted impulsively, swiftly taking her hand in his for a moment, a moment that felt too short once he let go, pulling his hand away and placing it firmly on the steering wheel, his face going red.

This car ride and the next two weeks all of a sudden felt like a year to Gabriella. She wasn't sure if she was going to be able to endure it.


	2. You Found Me

**"The early morning, the city breaks  
And I've been calling for years and years and years  
And you never left me no messages  
You never sent me no letters  
You got some kind of nerve taking all I want."**

**THE FRAY, YOU FOUND ME**

_Troy decided that he needed to see her just one more time. One more time and it would all be right; she would still be his best friend, Gabriella. He would still have the girl who he would use to race with down the hills behind their elementary school and mudslide to the bottom in the pouring rain. They would disregard their mother's warnings that they would catch a cold. Simply, they never had any concerns or fears. Covered completely in what Gabriella would now find disgusting muck, they would return to their parents with their hands dripping with the substance, broad smiles on their dirt-streaked faces. But did he even want that? Did he want things to return to the way they were before he knew how she truly felt about him? Everything would be the same between them, friends with mutual feelings. In all honesty, he was not sure, he just needed to see her one more time…only one more time. _

_"Where do you think you are going?" The always strict, Jack Bolton, questioned his son who had his hand on the front door knob, ready to turn the metal handle._

_Troy fumbled over his words, "Just out for a little-", he said, barely coherent. He could feel his palms getting sweaty, his nerves kicking in. The doorknob began feeling slippery beneath of his grasp, hating the judging look that he was receiving from his father, his eyes burning a hole in his forehead. _

_"You cannot be out too long, we have to head out soon," Jack said with a brief nod of the head, redirecting his attention to the baseball game that was on their big screen television that was plat formed on their living room wall. This was the way that he usually dismissed Troy, showing that he no longer had interest in the conversation. Troy shook his head tersely, finally able to step outside of the Bolton house, the cool early-summer wind whipping at his hair, chilling his warm face. Ducking his head low, he hid his fists deep in his jean pockets, his blue eyes trained to the side walk that he was treading, letting his feet drag slightly behind him, his father's voice in his head every step of the few feet that he had to walk to get to his neighbor's house. _

Do not drag your feel when you walk, Troy. Do not hesitate when you drive to the net, Troy. Do not falter your step when faced with an opposing member, Troy.

_He needed this summer away from Albuquerque._

_Extending one of his hands, Troy knocked lightly, almost timidly on the Montez' door. Immediately, he heard the family's dog, Sawyer, behind barking loudly and excitedly, always loving when they had visitors over. Marie Montez had smiled brightly when the door opened widely, welcoming him, Sawyer's tail wagging happily, his wet nose nudging Troy's hand that fell limply at his side. _

_"Is Gab around?" Troy asked, his eyes darting over Marie's shoulder, as if Gabriella would be standing right there. As if she knew he had been planning to catch her early in the morning before he had left for the long drive from Albuquerque to Phoenix, Arizona. _

_Sadly, Marie shook her head, indicating that the answer was indeed, no. Troy was taken back. Gabriella Montez awake before 11:00 AM? That was just unheard of. The summer days were Gabriella's lazy days, the ones she spent with leisure, sleeping and hanging around with her friends at night. Marie laughed at Troy's surprised expression, knowing exactly what he was thinking. She shrugged, "I was about as stunned as you are." _

_"Do you have any idea when she will be home?"_

_"No, I am sorry," She bit on her bottom lip, just like her daughter did whenever she thought. "That…boy beat you here," She said waving her hand, trying to remember the name that Gabriella had mentioned. _

_"Boy? Chad?"_

_For the second time today, Troy was surprised but this time it was because of his tone. It actually sounded as if he cared whom Gabriella was out with. He was mentally crossing his fingers, hoping that it was Chad, since he was the only boy that he trusted her around, beside himself of course. Wait…what was he thinking? He shook his head, shaking his hair away from his eyes as if that would clear is cluttered mind. _

_"Mike? No…Matthew?" Marie had uncertainty written on her face. "That West High boy, plays on the basketball team?" She offered as much information as she could, and though it was little, Troy knew exactly the boy she was trying to put a name to. _

_"Miles," Troy filled in for her, his heart sinking so that he could feel it in his stomach. He was too late. He was always too late. Never did he know the right words to say or the right actions. A late reactor, his father always called him, he never could make up his mind. Even if it were as simple as going through a drive-thru at McDonald's, Troy would always hold up the family, never knowing what to order. Indecisive. He wondered what would have happened if he had opened his mouth the night before._

_Marie Montez had said something else but it had gone unheard by Troy. He remembered mumbling a 'Thanks anyway' before turning abruptly to leave, wanting to get away from the house as soon as he possibly could. All that he was left to do was wonder what could have been between him and the girl next door._

"Montez, you awake?" Troy tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, letting his free hand venture to her knee, squeezing lightly, hoping to jar her from her slumber. With no such luck, heat rose on his neck, making him feel like he should loosen his collar….if only his shirt had a collar. He was filled with sudden curiosity as he let the back of his palm rub against her knee, trailing up her thigh slowly and deliberately, feeling the smoothness of her skin beneath his hand. His breathing came to a stop when he reached the skin high on her upper thigh, her shorts having been pushed out of place due to her turning in her sleep.

He was amazed that the girl to the right of him was the same girl that he had lent a hand to after she scratched her knee, taking a nasty fall off of her new bike that she had received for her sixth birthday. She was the same little girl that he had seen move next door, braids in her hair and a pout on her face.

"Troy," Gabriella sighed, half asleep as she began rubbing her eyes tiredly.

She had not even noticed how quickly he had pulled his hand from her, now firmly clutching the steering wheel, his face hard like a rock and serious.

"Where are we?" She was now a little more alert.

He had to relax and will himself to breathe. "I was getting a little hungry and I just saw a sign for a diner coming up a few miles back, just off the exit," He said slowly. "We are right on schedule, just a few hours away. I figured we could stop…since I beat the traffic, cutting this ride shorter…" It had come out sounding like a question, him rambling and trying to explain himself.

Gabriella nodded, barely even comprehending Troy's rushed words but a diner sounded perfect to her at the moment and she would kill for a good ice cream sundae. The thought made her mouth form into a small smile, Troy had always made fun of her when they were kids since she could handle ice cream at anytime of the day, especially in the morning. The sun had barely even start to come up, they'd been driving for nearly six hours. She turned; ready to wake Chad and Sharpay but Troy's hand stopped her quickly.

"Sharpay will murder you if you wake her up at this time," Troy warned her casually, letting out a yawn. Any excuse he could come up with, he knew that Gabriella would believe it, mostly because she was too tired to fully understand what was even being said. If she had gotten a little more sleep she might have caught on that Troy was only finding a way to get to talk to her alone.

Nodding once more, Gabriella let her head lull to the side of her, resting against the van's seat, waiting for Troy to pull into the small diner's parking lot. She had not even noticed the small place when he first parked, only realizing that they where there once he had stopped the car, shutting the driver side door behind him so that it closed softly, not wanting to wake Sharpay and Chad. He was at her door in a flash, containing a laugh at how dazed and confused Gabriella looked.

"Do I have to unbuckle your seatbelt for you?" Troy joked and watched as she shook her head in slow motion, searching for the clasp as her head fell back with a yawn. She never had been a big morning person.

"You don't have to wait up, I will meet you inside."

"I want to make sure you don't wake up the sleeping beauties," Troy let his eyes wander to the back of the van, holding in his laughter when he saw Chad pressed up against the car window, Sharpay hogging all of the space in the compact backseat of the car. "Besides, I don't have enough cash to treat them, too," He lied again. He just wanted to talk to her.

"You don't have to pay for me, I can find something in my bag.."

"No, you will make too much noise," Troy sighed heavily, pressing his palm to the top of the van as he leaned inside, his other hand unbuckling her seatbelt, coaxing her to follow his lead. "I don't mind, I just want some food," Troy made up an excuse for his hastiness.

They had finally made it inside, seated in the tiny in-the-middle-of-nowhere-diner. The inside was bright, unusually causing Gabriella to wake up completely, the aroma making both of their mouths water. Troy sat across from her in the close-together booth, their knees brushing underneath the table. Troy had gotten an order of pancakes and scrambled eggs, and insisted that Gabriella eat real food.

"I asked for ice cream, I want ice cream," She laughed with a slight shrug of her shoulders, not caring how childish she sounded.

Troy ate slowly, making sure to have some left over, knowing that she would want to sample his food. The food came out rather quickly, since they were the only pair in the deserted diner, Gabriella's eyes lighting up like a diamond reflecting sunlight when the ice cream dish was set in front of her.

Troy waited awhile, not wanting to spring on a sudden conversation but once she had mostly finished off her ice cream and the rest of his pancakes, he cleared his throat, making her brown eyes meet his blue. "I wanted to talk to you about this whole trip," He said smoothly, calmly his voice like velvet.

She knew there had to be a catch. He'd been nice to her all morning, even offered treating her to breakfast. "What is it?" Her tone came off to be more angry than she had intended, but she did not care. She was done playing Troy's mind games. If he had something to say to her, he did not have to butter her up for it, preparing to break the bad news to her.

"I just wanted to talk to you about this trip."

"What about it, Troy?" She said, sounding impatient.

He was not sure of how to bring up their awkward past. "I know we have had a rough patch," Troy began, immediately dreading saying it after hearing how stupid he had sounded. "I just want to be able to have a good time, you know?" He tried to cover it up. "I mean, Chad and Sharpay are kind of just going to be doing their own thing," Troy smirked, his eyes venturing to the parking lot where the van still remained. "So that just leaves you and I, and we can make the best of it. I just don't want you giving me that death glare the whole time during the next two weeks," Troy smiled, trying to win her over.

Gabriella sighed. She did not think that she could allow herself to be too close to him for an entire two weeks. She could not trust herself…he meant too much to her and she knew she couldn't have a repeat of what had happened two years ago when they were fifteen. The last thing she wanted to do was to scare him and push him away like she had before. Things were different now and she knew that, understood that. They had been friends, just friends for the past two years. Sure, they were not as close as they had been before, but it was better than him meaning nothing to her. Gabriella finally willed herself to make eye contact with him, noticing the look in his eyes.

Apprehension.

He was worried she'd reject him. Gabriella wasn't sure what surprised her more, the fact that she would have to contain herself for the next two weeks, or the fact that Troy actually feared she'd turn him away. No matter what he did, no matter how she felt, Gabriella knew that nothing could ever cause her to cut Troy out. He still was considered a best friend to her, even if they weren't as close as they were before.

Nodding slowly, she allowed herself to half smile. "I wouldn't purposely try to make your trip miserable, if that is what you are thinking."

"No, if anything you being here is making it better for me."

She had a sharp intake of breath. That did not mean anything, she told herself, he just needs someone else, and so he does not feel like the third wheel.

"Then I won't screw this up." At least not this time, she thought.

He looked from left to right, his eyes slowing when they reached her face, a smirk settling upon his own causing Gabriella to raise her eyebrows in question. She knew that look, too. He was not up to anything good. "What is it?" Gabriella said slowly, almost as if she was not sure if she actually wanted to hear what his answer was.

"Want to be bold for once in your life?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" She dared to ask, chewing on her bottom lip

The clatter of pots and pans being cleaned in the kitchen could be heard, the busboy resting his head in his arms, looking as though he were ready to doze.

"Dine and dash," His voice dropped to a husky whisper.

"Are you insane?"

"Live a little."

He knew his taunting words would have an effect on her, they always did.

"I do live, I take risks," She said stubbornly, folding her arms in a pout.

Before she could comprehend what he was even doing, Troy reached across the table, his hand holding hers, tugging lightly. "Then take a risk with me."

And she knew that she would.

* * *

By the time they finally turned down that narrow road, surrounded by trees, Gabriella and Troy were still laughing giddily, Sharpay and Chad not really understanding what was so funny, just another inside joke between them. They would randomly glance at each other, causing them to laugh hysterically. Troy could not help but laugh whenever he pictured the image of Gabriella sprinting with everything she had in her, desperately trying to reach the van, actually believing Troy when he had chanted behind her 'they are coming, they are coming'.

Gabriella smiled, looking around the familiar atmosphere. She had grown up going to campgrounds like this. The narrow road led to a main hall where several activities took place. From the hall, there were several roads branching out to sites where tents stood, then trailers and even park models that looked like small houses. There had been a time when her parents actually enjoyed doing things together like going to the beach, campgrounds or even on vacations. Now, her parents resented each other and Gabriella was often thrown in the middle of their arguments.

They unloaded the van, duffle bags laying on the dirt that soon would be their campsite, two boxes next to them that contained the tents that were going to be used. Sharpay and Gabriella stood shoulder-to-shoulder, arms crossed, staring hopelessly at the boxes as they leaned against the van.

"Well, not that this isn't fun," Sharpay let out a long exaggerated sigh, dramatically turning her head to give her boyfriend her perfected 'puppy pout'. "I think it is time you guys get these big boys up."

"No, no," Chad shook his head. "We agreed that since Troy and I were going to be doing the driving, you both had to help set up once we got here. Right Troy?"

Troy was looking elsewhere though, almost as though he was confused when a truck had drove pass them. He watched as it rounded the corner of the part of the camp ground they were staying at, until it went out of site. "Right," Troy said, diverting his attention back to his friends.

Gabriella did not mind labor as much as Sharpay did, so she immediately went to emptying the box that held the tent she and Troy would be sharing. Troy followed her lead and began reading the instructions from the paper that had fallen from the box. Time passed and frustration grew.

"Is there a bathroom anywhere?" Sharpay asked, her eyes wide in realization that tents in fact did not have bathrooms. Chad glared from his spot on the dirt ground, doing the job that Sharpay had promised she would help with.

"Yes, up near the main hall," Gabriella answered for Chad, having picked up on the route when they arrived at the campground. "I could go with you if you want-"

"No," Troy cut her off. "Chad can."

"I can?"

Troy wiped the sweat forming above his eye. It was much too hot for this. "Yeah, you can. "If you just get that thing and it's whining away so we can finish this, I willl help you with setting up yours."

"Now, now, can you not call me an it," Sharpay said calmly, still in the same spot against Chad's van, not making any effort to help.

Chad sighed, defeated. "Ok, let's go."

"Aren't you going to defend me?" Sharpay asked, her pout in effect once more.

He shook his head, bidding himself to look away from the dangerous pout that Sharpay believed he did not think she did purposely. Of course he knew. "Didn't you have to go to the bathroom?"

"Yes!" She exclaimed. Pushing herself away from the car, she hooked her arm through his, dragging an exasperated Chad away from the heap of what would soon be a tent.

"It doesn't go that way," Gabriella snapped, snatching the pieces that made up the base of the tent away from Troy's destructive hands. "You are going to fuck it up."

"What, like how I fuck everything up?" He growled back, anger coming from the heat.

She bypassed him, standing in front of him and ignoring his attitude. Casually, she bent down to pick up the piece that connected one of the corners of the tent, not realizing how close in proximity she was to Troy. Color rose to her cheeks as she felt her backside grinding against his front, hearing him breathe in sharply through his teeth. "Sorry," She choked out when she felt him…all of him…against her back.

With his cheeks aflame, he coughed, trying to pretend that somehow, she would forget that ever happened. He knew she would not.

"It's the heat," He excused himself with a laugh and a shrug.

"Sure it is," Gabriella rolled her eyes. "I am aware that all boys are pigs."

Troy shook his head lightly; there was just no reasoning with her.

A swift change of subject was in order.

"Remember that one time," Troy spoke slowly, trying to recall. "I think it was last year, when I tackled you after that long week of rain. Sharpay screamed at the sight…I never thought I would ever get to see you that angry before," Troy chuckled, reminiscing Gabriella covered in dripping mud, her face like a Spanish bull about to charge. "I never thought I would live to see another day after that."

"That was not funny."

"Yeah it was."

"If anything, it was because you ran away," She smirked.

"I had to run away, when I left you were a mess."

"Habit of yours?" She whispered, regretting it almost instantly.

"Gab I-"

"Well look at you wilderness wonders!" Sharpay called as she and Chad arrived back at the site. She clapped her hands together, her face showing that she felt the uncomfortable tension between Gabriella and Troy. "Doesn't look like you put up anything."

But Gabriella knew she was wrong because inside, she was constructing the biggest and most powerful wall and no one would ever be able to pummel it to the ground, catching her off guard. Not again.


	3. This Is For Keeps

**"As I round your corner  
I am nervous that you won't be my lover  
I knock three times and hope that  
my pale complexion won't blow my cover  
You answer the door with your innocent face  
Would you like to leave this human race, tonight?"  
THE SPILL CANVAS, THIS IS FOR KEEPS**

Chad regained his footing, stopping himself from crashing into the hard dirt ground face first. He groaned loudly due to the pain he felt after scraping the coarse gravel against the palm that he used to catch himself and break his fall. "Remind me…why do we have to do all of the labor around here?" Chad droned dramatically, his voice border lining a whine, making Troy believe even more that all of his friends were being 'Sharpayed'. The boy whose hair defied gravity wiped at a bead of sweat that had formed on his forehead, his eyebrows scrunching together when he caught the scent of his own stench.

Troy shrugged, honestly not making as big of a deal about getting firewood as Chad was. He did not mind in the least bit. Actually, he was already enjoying the aspect of camping and they had only been at the campground for a little more than a few hours. He felt a swell of pride whenever he looked at the two tents standing tall on their own, knowing that he himself, was capable of making it on his own if he needed to.

_Troy took one final shot at the basket, watching as the ball hit the metal rim, making the same hated clanking noise as the ball ricocheted off towards the bleachers that were packed to the brim with people come game day. _

"_Fuck," Troy Bolton, only a freshman at the time, cursed under his breath, longing for the sweet sound of the ball swishing through the net and bouncing back to his awaiting hands. _

_I__nstead, he got the dreaded sound of a ballpoint pen, clicking on and off. He knew that sound, everyone on the basketball team knew that sound._

"_You're not looking too sharp today," Jack Bolton said disapprovingly, seeming to show up at the most random times, clipboard handy. _

"_No shit, Sherlock."_

"_Watch it," Jack warned, raising his two hands in a mock surrender. "I am only trying to prepare you for your future. If you wish to attend the camp this summer, I will not have you going looking like a fool."_

"_A fool, Dad? Am I really that terrible?" Troy snarled, his fists clenched at his side. His father always knew the exact words to use in order to push his buttons. _

"_No, I only want what is best for my son," Jack offered his manipulative grin that Troy believed deserved some kind of 1__st__ place medal for lack of credibility. As if his father could read the thoughts in Troy's mind he added, "I am only here to help. Think about it, what else is a coach for?"_

_Troy rolled his eyes venomously, walking backwards towards the locker room doors. "One, you're my father. Two…I am capable of doing anything on my own."_

"Because I don't mind breaking a sweat…do you?" Troy replied, his head snapping away from his thoughts as his lips twisted into a smirk, raising his own eyebrow.

Chad played it off, laughing coolly. "Oh no, of course not."

"Sure, Chad."

"Where are we headed anyway?" Chad asked as they trudged together from their campsite to the front of the campground.

"Firewood is at the front…Gab said," Troy added, sure that would make Chad more aware that they were headed in the right direction since Gabriella was rarely wrong; always reliant.

"Yeah…Gab."

"What?" Troy stopped dead in his tracks, eyeing his best friend curiously.

"I didn't say anything," Chad said with a shrug, walking once more in hopes that the subject would be dropped.

"Yeah…Gab," Troy mimicked in the same apprehensive tone that Chad had first spoken. "Is anything wrong or did I say something?" He asked with pure confusion that was as transparent as the saran wrap that had been included in the supplies that the group of teenagers had packed for their trip.

"I am just as confused as you are," Chad assured him, his voice matching Troy's.

"What is confusing you?"

For the time being, it seemed as if the two boys had completely forgotten about the firewood that Gabriella needed in order to start the dinner that they would be eating, roasting hot dogs over the fire. "Well…" Chad's voice trailed off as if he lost it suddenly. "I still don't fully understand the both of you."

"I have known you since I was five, how do you not understand me?" Troy asked incredulously. "You've known Gab just as long."

"I didn't mean it like that."

Troy's shoulders lifted as his arms splayed out, frustrated as his body temperature felt much too high to be healthy. "How did you mean it then?"

"I hate to add on the cheddar but-"

"Add on the cheddar?"

"It's an expression," Chad glared. "If you do not want me to explain, I'll stop."

Troy felt a smile form on his face caused their brotherly like bantering. This occurred usually at least two times a day... on a normal day. Troy did not mind though, he figured it came with the territory of knowing someone practically your entire life. "Continue."

"Like I was saying. I hate to add the cheddar, or be cheesy, but I have 20/20 eyesight and I still cannot see how you and Gab are only friends. If you are even friends…are you?" He looked like a distraught toddler with a one thousand piece puzzle laying out in front of him. Simply, Chad did not know where to begin.

Troy felt is eyes close, his hand lifting to his temple to furiously allow his fingers to press against it. Too many thoughts…how did he answer those questions anyway? He did not even know the answers himself. "We're friends, Chad." He confirmed, his lips pressed together tightly. "We have been ever since she moved next door."

Chad sighed; he'd been defeated. "You and I both know that that is not and never will be the truth."

Troy opened his mouth to interject but was cut off when he noticed the very same truck that he had seen drive by their campsite earlier that day. "Fuck no."

"Fuck no? I am right!"

"No, not that," Troy growled, his eyes moving as the truck turned down the road that he and Chad had traveled to get the firewood. Finally, Chad saw what Troy was looking at as well, his eyes as wide as his mouth could be.

"No…" Chad said disbelievingly. There was no way.

"I know what I saw, man. Hell, you know what you saw! Why the fuck is Miles Harland here, of all places?"

"You think he followed us?!" Chad exclaimed suddenly, as if that same toddler was beginning to put the pieces together.

Troy smacked him up the backside of his head. "No, you moron. It's East and West High tradition. Every year, someone from each school comes here and it ends up in some full blown competition."

"So you knew he was going to be here…?" Chad asked, clearly not following what Troy had meant.

"No, Harland was the last person I expected to see here."

"So we compete!" He sounded like a small child who had just been told that they could be rewarded with a piece of candy.

"With the girls with us?"

Both boys grew silent, turning to face each other, then each began laughing with hysteria. "Good one, Troy." Chad and Troy both knew that they could not expect anything to happen over the next few weeks because of the fact that Sharpay and Gabriella were with them. They played the role as the roadblock in the long car ride that was West High VS. East High.

Troy pondered the idea of Miles Harland within a few miles, maybe even walking distance from Gabriella. He did not know the reasoning as to why, but he did not like the thought of that.

"So what do we do?"

"Nothing," Troy said solemnly. "We get firewood, and we head back and pretend that we did not even see him."

Good one, Troy.

* * *

"Look who already beat you here!" Sharpay shouted all too cheerily from her fold out chair that she had set up when she spotted Troy and Chad within hearing distance, both carrying firewood in their hands. She was expecting _real_ fireworks, a showdown. Troy might have just given her one.

Troy could feel his anger beginning to rise, like water boiling in a pot on a stovetop, left there too long so that the water ends up pouring over the edge.

The fire had already been started up, Gabriella standing proudly beside it as Miles and his two friends, Leilan and Brent stood around her, laughing as if a joke had been told. "Miles pulled up here and offered to help, I could not refuse," Gabriella offered a cheeky grin but Troy still could not help but keep the death glare on his features as Chad and he dropped the lumber off a few feet away from the fire. Chad was quick to leave Troy standing alone as he went and joined Sharpay, taking her spot on the chair and tugging her back down to sit on his lap.

"Are you going to say hello?" Sharpay asked with playfulness, finding the situation they were in amusing. "It's rude, Chad."

There was a long moment of silence; the only sounds heard were the birds high in the treetops and the crackling of the fire. "Hello."

"We were just driving by and we saw your girls here," Miles spoke up first. "I asked Bre here if she needed a hand and of course, Bre being Bre, said that she was fine on her own," He laughed, as if he and Gabriella were good friends; good ole pals. Troy scoffed, causing Gabriella to send a glare in his general direction.

"But you helped her anyway, right!" Troy said with a mock jovial tone, his sarcasm not going unnoticed as Miles' right hand man, Brent, stood gruffly, eyeing him down. Troy dared to move closer, allowing his cerulean eyes to inspect the fire, trying his hardest to find flaws that did not exist. When he could not find anything wrong with it, he wrapped his arm tightly around the waist of Gabriella, drawing her in to his side. Before she could question his motives, Troy brought her back to face his front, keeping his arm around her waist in what he wanted to look like an affectionate matter. Sharpay tried to muffle her laughter from the sidelines.

"What are you…?"

"Sh, baby, not now," Troy whispered loudly, purposely, his eyes searching for Miles' reaction. No luck. Seeking that very reaction that he desired, his hands traveled further south, his thumbs slipping under the waistband of her jeans and hands shoved into her front pockets, causing her to become pressed flush against him.

"We need popcorn…"

Gabriella pretended she could not hear the words being exchanged between Sharpay and Chad. Biting at her lower lip, she tilted her head to the side only to find she was too close for comfort, her face going red to the point where she could actually feel the warmth on her cheeks. "What do you think you are doing, Troy?"

"Nothing babe," Troy gave his famous smile that charmed almost every girl that went to East High. Rocking her against him, he closed his eyes, trying to un-cloud his mind that was telling him that he actually was enjoying this. This was only to get Miles to understand who Gabriella was to him. No, Troy shook his head, Miles just needed to understand his placement in the scheme of how things were going to be the next few weeks.

Miles coughed. Finally, Troy thought, looking up from the massive dark locks that his eyes had fixated on to see Miles shift uncomfortably. "We will see you around then?" Leilan, one of the boys that play basketball with the West High Knights filled in for his silent friends, breaking the tension.

Gabriella waited until the truck was gone and out of view to turn to face Troy, striking his chest with force. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Did you see how he was looking at you, what he wanted from you…"

"What he wanted was to help," Gabriella crossed her arms over her chest. "He is a nice guy, Troy. You would know that if your head was not stuck so far up your ass."

Troy rolled his eyes, causing Gabriella too look even more angry than before. "The only one person whose head is up anyone's ass is Miles. He was looking there the entire time."

"Spare me, Troy," Gabriella spat. "He is a close friend, believe it or not. He was actually there for me when-"

Troy cut her off dangerously. "When what?"

They had finally managed to get on good terms after what seemed like an eternity. Gabriella refused to ruin it by arguing, it was much too soon. But as she looked into his cyan eyes, the eyes that almost looked as if they were pained, she knew that whatever she said was going to be taken argumentatively. Troy had thought that she was the one who did wrong, it was never him. "Troy's a god," Gabriella said with pure sarcasm that could be noted by anyone, not even realizing that she was speaking her thoughts.

"What did you say?"

She could not take it back now. "Poor Troy! It is always poor Troy. Troy does not do anything wrong, Troy is perfect. Troy cannot hurt a fly. It is always everyone else hurting or bothering Troy! Scratch that, Troy could not even hurt an ant, let alone a fly."

"You sound ridiculous…"

But there was no stopping her. "If you are going to be so tough, Troy, you need to man up a little. If you cannot take what you dish out, why even bother? Does blowing out my flame make yours burn brighter?" Gabriella was so angry at this point, she could feel the back of her throat burning, her eyes stinging as they threatened to water up.

Troy's eyes locked on hers, the force so strong Gabriella almost lost her breath. "Do you honestly think that I play the role of a martyr?"

She needed to calm down, exhaling a long moment, trying to allow herself to function; clear thoughts running through her mind. "I don't know what role you are trying to play,"Gabriella said exasperatedly. "I'm done," She informed the group, "Show's over Chad… Sharpay." She said before she began to retreat towards the tent.

Only stopping when she heard Troy mumble something under his breath, Gabriella whipped around. "What was that?"

"I have never made anyone believe that I cannot handle what I dish out," Troy stated boldly, hearing Sharpay groan in the distance.

"Quit while you're behind Bolton! Quit while you're behind," Sharpay said desperately.

Gabriella laughed a bit, her eyes lightening from the dark clouds that seemed to have consumed them. "No, Troy. No one sees you like I do, despite what you may believe."

Silence hung in the air, the truth floating there, all four teenagers were aware of this.

"You can go around pretending that your actions do not effect anyone. You may not be able to 'hurt a fly' but Troy…." She drew in a long shaky breath. "You broke me."

* * *

They ate dinner in silence; the fire that was slowly dying was the only noise that broke the eerie dead air. Gabriella finished off first, standing from her seat by the fire slowly, her eyes trained to the ground. She looked as though she wanted to say something but instead she shook her head and decided to call it an early night, going back to the tent that she had spent most of the day in, alone.

"Well I guess we are all sleeping together," Sharpay clapped her hands. Chad could tell by her tone of voice that the silence had nearly killed her. Chad nodded, both he and Sharpay turning to face Troy.

His eyes were looking at the stick on his lap, scraping away at the bark with his fingernails, trying to find something that would keep his attention and make him forget about the words that had come from Gabriella's mouth. Troy wanted to act as if she did not mean any of the words she had said. Each word had chiseled into him like tools trying to break down the wall that he had built up. The same wall that he had always used to shield himself from knowing that every word Gabriella had said about him were one hundred percent truthful.

"Troy?" Sharpay snapped her fingers in front of his nose, hoping to stir up some kind of reaction.

"What? Yeah, sharing tents, yeah." Troy answered, his mind off in a complete other world.

"How about you try to talk to her?" Chad suggested to Sharpay who shook her head immediately after the idea.

"She needs her space, you know Gabi."

Chad nodded; leave it to Sharpay to always be right.

Troy felt as though he could hear the hours ticking away while he sat with his knees pulled up to his chest in the corner of the crammed up tent. There was not enough room for three and besides; Chad's snore would keep him up the entire night. He crept out of the tent trying to be as quiet as he possibly could, knowing that if Sharpay were to wake up, she would disapprove of him leaving. Walking the few feet to the tent beside Sharpay and Chad's, he peeled back the door of the tent, unzippering the entrance way to let himself inside where Gabriella lay sleeping.

She had left his rolled up sleeping bag for him to use while she lay curled on her side, her face pressed against the rough mat of the bottom of the tent. He ran a hand through his disheveled hair, unrolling the sleeping bag, and laying it down on the floor as a sheet. Timidly, he sat down on the ground beside Gabriella, trying to contemplate how he was going to bring her to sleep on the blanket. He pried his arm underneath her waist, beginning to jerk on her body.

"Troy?" Gabiella said suddenly, causing Troy to halt his movements quickly.

"Sorry, I did not know you were awake."

She rolled over on her side so that she was facing him. "I am sorry Troy, I did not mean to blow up like that. You know me, my anger always gets the best of me at times."

"No," Troy said, his voice deep. "You were right, Gab. And because of that…I am sorry."

She could feel her eyes fill up with unshed tears once again, shaking her head and slamming her eyes closed, hoping that would prevent the tears from falling. Too late.

"Don't cry…" Troy said, feeling his throat close up at the sight of her in pain.

"I just don't know anymore, Troy." Gabriella said, her voice in a hushed whisper as if what she were about to say was top secret. "Things will never be the same between us, I blew it didn't I?"

Troy's eyes closed as well, remembering the time that he and Chad had built a treehouse when they were only eleven; it was hidden in the brush of the woods. No one knew about it, no one except Gabriella who had decided to follow them out into the secluded part of the woods one day. Of course, Chad and Troy refused to let her inside so later that night in the pouring rain he was not surprised to find Gabriella out there in the middle of the storm by herself. He had to coax her to come down, since she had always been afraid of heights. Back then, Troy had thought that they could just live up there by themselves, and never have to see the ground. Back then…nothing was complicated.

"If anyone messed anything up between us, it was me," Troy told her firmly as he leaned back on his elbows. He felt his body tense when her arm came across his middle in a loose hug.

"Don't say that…" Gabriella whispered as if he had told her that he had committed a murder. "What are we going to do?" She asked and Troy understood what she meant, where were they going from there.

He tilted her chin towards him, catching her off guard, just wanting to try one thing. Troy kissed the corner of her mouth with uncertainty, his eyes drifting shut as he finally…for once, allowed himself to feel.


	4. What If

**"What if it makes you lose faith in me?  
What if it makes you question every moment you cannot see?  
And what if it makes you crash and you can't find the key?  
What if it makes you ask how you could let it all go?  
What if what I want makes you sad at me and is it all my  
fault, oh can I fix it please? 'Cause you know that I'm always all for you. "**

**SAFETYSUIT, WHAT IF**

His hold on her ceased and then the only thing Gabriella could feel in the atmosphere was his breath against her cheek. To her, this was like an out of body experience; she was simply an audience to two best friends who had just shared a moment that she had anticipated since she started crushing on boys. Like every time Gabriella allowed herself to believe he felt even remotely close to the same way she did, the clouds in her mind cleared and reality crashed down.

"What are you doing…?" Gabriella whispered, stunned that she could even find the strength to muster those four words.

And the look on his face was enough to almost make her cry again. She could feel the familiar stinging sensation pricking at the back of her eyes but she dared to fight off the feeling. He looked as though he had just been slapped across the face, a bucket of cold water poured over his head. Lost.

"I would say something like 'something I should have done a long time ago' but it all sounds too played out to me," Troy's voice matched her own in a whisper, his tone serious.

'Troy…"

"No, please, don't you go pushing me away." His eyes were a dark blue with all seriousness, his hand reaching for hers in the darkness. Once finding her balled up fist, Troy unclasped each finger, kissing her hand as if it were the last time he would ever see her. But for the first time, to Troy, he was seeing her. He was letting himself go in ways that he had always wanted but never had the courage to do so.

Another tear slid down her cheek as she shook her head. "Then don't force it."

There was no way that she was honestly going to believe that all of a sudden, realization dawned on Troy Bolton and he finally felt the way she had for years. There was no way. She continued shaking her head, fighting a battle within herself.

Incredulously, Troy shook his head as well. "I am not forcing anything." Shifting his weight so that he could hover over the girl he had always known as his best friend, Troy kept his hold on her fragile hand. He gave it a gentle squeeze, his eyes never leaving what seemed like a magnetic gaze that they held with her mocha orbs. "I am only hiding," He whispered, pulling her hand to his groin, holding it against him until he heard her gasp. "Do you feel that? Every time I think about you in this way…" He trailed kisses along her neck, his lips searching for the right spot where he could feel her pulse beneath them.

Gabriella tried her best to regulate her breath, in need for a pinch that would wake her up from the dream she was currently having. It had to be a dream, for that was the only explanation for why Troy was looking at her the way that he was.

"What?" She finally found her voice, barely recognizing her own words as they leaked from her mouth. "What do you want, Troy? You can't expect me to believe you right now, I can't do that."

He rolled his eyes, his thumbs brushing over the skin of her cheeks, wiping at her tears. "You're always so damn stubborn, Bre," He sighed, using his other hand to scoop under her head, cradling her as she lay under him.

_The ball flew so fast none of the boys would have been able to yell to warn her to move in time. Like a school of fish, all seven of the thirteen year old boys who were engaged in the intense game of backyard baseball, swarmed towards the girl that had just been struck moments before, who had simply been watching from the sidelines._

_"You idiot, you could have killed her, Cross," Troy's face grew red with anger that he fought to maintain, holding his clenched fists to his side as he knelt to the ground. Looking down at the girl who lay crumbled, his harsh face softened when she finally blinked her large doe eyes once more. "Gab, are you alive? Gab?"_

_"Hmm?" She reached for something to hold on to so that she could pull herself to her own two feet._

_"Slow down," Troy instructed, having seen many head injuries on the television while watching sports with his father. His hands held the back of her head, feeling the bump beginning to form beneath his fingers._

_"That hurts," Gabriella pouted, not enjoying the fact that she felt like a polar bear in a zoo exhibit, spectators watching her with curiosity._

_Sensing this, Troy glared, his eyes sending some kind of warning to his watching friends. "Could you all back up?" No one dared to question him._

_"You're going to be alright." He said affirmatively once the boys were out of earshot._

_"I know."_

"Let me just…" Troy's voice trailed off, his mouth reclaiming the sensitive spot on her neck that he had found a few minutes earlier. She tried to contain the low moan from escaping her lips with no such luck, feeling against her thigh that the noise only encouraged Troy to continue as he hardened against her. He bit into the flesh, nibbling at a spot between her neck and collarbone until he was fully satisfied with the mark he had left there.

"You were always mine," Troy whispered, his lips trailing back up her neck to the corner of her mouth, waiting for some kind of movement or response.

"You never wanted me," Gabriella mumbled against his lips, only to have the wind knocked out of her as they collided with her own again, his tongue fighting its way into her mouth.

Their tongues dueled as Troy fought for dominance, holding himself up with one of his hands situated just by her shoulder as she finally decided to comply, her arms snaking around his neck to keep his body close. "What do you call this?" He smirked between catching breaths, his blue eyes shining in the low light.

"Take me."

"What?"

Gabriella bit her bottom lip, chewing slightly before drawing his face back in towards hers, her small fingers playing with the short hairs on the back of his neck. "Take me," She repeated in a whisper, her lips barely grazing over the lobe of his ear.

Just then, Troy kissed her with so much passion that Gabriella swore she could see fireworks. If it weren't for his strong hand around her waist, she was sure that she would have become much like the substance of jello. Without any arguments, his agile fingers worked at the hem of her shirt, tugging it over her head, his lips longing to touch hers when they parted even if it was just for a few seconds.

Troy's rough hand traveled the length of her newly exposed body, his eyes full of hunger that Gabriella had never seen before. "So beautiful," He whispered as he kissed around her collarbone, groaning as Gabriella wrapped her legs around his waist, creating a delicious friction between the two teenager's pelvises.

She could not help but smile. This had been everything that she had ever hoped for. The way he was looking at her was enough to set her insides on fire.

"You are trying to kill me," He whispered with a laugh, loving how there was not one ounce of awkwardness when it came to Gabriella. Everything was real, the way that they always were.

"Well this would be one way to die…" She sighed, loving the feeling of his lips dancing across her skin, feathering the lightest of kisses. With a nod of agreement, Troy's palm swept across her chest, his eyes widening at the sight of his best friend arching her back just for him. Taking the opportunity, Troy's hands worked their magic on her back, barely grazing her spine as he removed the offending article of clothing, watching as Gabriella moved to cover herself modestly.

He shook his head, his hands covering hers, lifting them to lace their fingers together, as if their hands were perfectly molded to fit each others. Leaning forward to kiss her lightly for reassurance, he exhaled heavily against her neck. "Is this really happening?"

With a new found confidence, Gabriella's hand cupped the front of Troy's boxers, studying his face as it changed features, his mouth opening the slightest bit. "I think it is."

"Who are you…" Troy asked giving her another peck on the lips, unable to stop touching her. "…and what in the world have you done with my Gabriella Montez?"

"Your Gabriella Montez?"

He swallowed a lump lodged in his throat that he was not aware of. "Yes."

Her hand stilled from stroking him through his boxers, reaching for the elastic band that stretched around his hips, tugging the plaid down his athletic thighs, watching as he kicked them off fully. She took in the size of him, her eyes snapping back up to his as if she had just gotten caught looking at something she should not have been. He laughed, taking one of her hands and placing it back on him, moaning from the contact.

"Just think of one of the anatomy classes you have taken," Troy suggested his voice thick with arousal. "I'm just one of the dummies."

Her fingers wrapped around his member timidly at first, getting used to the feel of him. "We did _not_ do this to any of the dummies, Troy," She said, trying not to laugh for she felt that it was inappropriate for the predicament that they were in now.

"You sure about that?" Troy stammered. "Because you are doing pretty well," He grunted, his hand clamping over her hip for something to hold on to. He pulled on her shorts as her hand kept a steady pace, pumping him, nearly bringing him to ecstasy. And as if that wasn't enough to get him there, the next sight was. He took in her lacy underwear, the kind that he would never have pictured her wearing before but now, he could not imagine a more perfect picture. Troy's thumb hooked around the thin material, feeling as though he were going to tear them right off of her body.

"So fucking beautiful," He muttered over and over again while dusting kisses along her stomach.

Her face reddened like a beat, her eyes closing as she shook her head, trying not to make eye contact with him. Catching on to this quickly, Troy looked back up into her eyes, taking in every moment that he had her underneath of him, fully exposed like he had never seen her before. He rubbed her hip, coaxing her to look at him and relax.

At that moment, Gabriella knew that Troy was the only person she would ever let touch her in the intimate ways that he was. He was it for her. All she had ever wanted in her life, wrapped up into a nutshell called Troy Bolton.

His eyes closed as he cursed under his breath, luring Gabriella from her thoughts.

"What's wrong?" No. He did not want her, all along she was right. It was only a matter of time that he figured it out on his own. She should have known.

Taking in the pained expression on her face, Troy kissed her deeply, crawling up the length of her body, feeling the urge to touch his lips to every inch of her. "Hold on," He spoke directly into her ear as he hoisted himself off of her, slipping his boxers back on, his erection fully making itself known as he unzipped the tent, climbing out into the cold and dark night.

Trying not to step on any twigs that could snap, Troy reached the door handle of the unlocked van, flicking on the car light so that he could see. Squinting as his eyes adjusted, he rummaged through the compartments, knowing that Chad had to have condoms stored somewhere. As his fingers hunted through the glove compartment, Troy smiled with success after feeling a foiled package. As swift as a fox, Troy turned off the light, shutting the door lightly, trying to keep as quiet as possible as he reentered the tent, almost surprised to find Gabriella the same way he had left her. Maybe, he would finally allow himself to believe that this was not just a dream

She smiled as if she was surprised to see him too, admiring his toned chest and abs as he pulled his t-shirt over his head, taking off his boxers once more. He knelt beside her as she sat up straight, her hand moving quickly to swipe the foil package from between Troy's thumb and forefinger. Troy smirked as Gabriella tore open the package, fondling his shaft in her palm, enjoying the noises he made for her before rolling the condom up securely.

She settled back on the sleeping bag, her eyes wide with anticipation and fear as Troy's body cast a shadow over hers, settling between her thighs.

"Relax," Troy kissed her cheek, Gabriella's hands cupping his face, keeping it to her own as she kissed along his sturdy jaw, trying to take her mind off of the pain that she expected to come. Instead, his hand moved between their bodies, rubbing against her sex, feeling her arousal. She loosened her hold on his neck allowing herself to grow accustomed to the feel of Troy's thumb pressing against her most sensitive bud of nerves.

Growing harder, if even possible, from the feeling of Gabriella's hips bucking towards his, Troy could barely hold himself from plunging into her depths any longer. Positioning himself over her, Gabriella spread her legs to accommodate him, wondering if her fear was apparent in her eyes.

"Are you ready?" He asked, trying his hardest to put the gentleman side before his man side.

She nodded. Now or never.

Gabriella gasped at the sharp pain as Troy buried himself inside of her, his face contorting in confusion.

"Bre…" He remained still, his face in pure shock. "Are you…were you…a virgin?"

She blinked back tears, the pain bypassing after the slight feeling that something inside of her had ripped. "Yes."

"No, no," Troy shook his head. "No." He refused to believe it. "There's no way, Gab, you are lying to me."

Gabriella bit back the pain, wriggling her hips for the some kind of movement as she got used to the feeling of him inside of her. "I wanted to be yours, Troy. Believe it." She whispered, her voice so heavy that it was almost enough to knock him down.

"I don't want to hurt you," He said earnestly, "the moment I do, you better stop me."

She nodded, even though she believed the worst was over and that she could take any amount of pain as long as it was dished out by Troy Bolton. He pulled out only to start a steady and slow pace, penetrating her, wondering how it was possible that he was even keeping himself controlled. The feeling of her inner walls constricting around him was causing him to get lost inside of her, his eyes drifting shut.

Her hand moved to his cheek, encouraging him to let go. "I am fine, Troy," she gasped, riding out the waves of pain that were now being replaced with a much stronger feeling of pleasure.

Troy lifted one of her legs, draping it over his shoulder as he allowed himself to slam into her, his other hand holding her hip in place while her fingernails dug into the skin of his back. The scraping of his skin was making him curse as he began to tip over the edge, wanting to bring Gabriella along with him. The look in her eyes told him that she wasn't too far off.

"Troy, I, I'm going-"

"Sh, just let go," He moaned, trying to catch his breath as he thrusted, her muscles contracting around him. "Of everything…"

And they both knew his words had double meaning.

"So good," He chanted, "Gabi…"

She never knew what it felt like. Never until that moment. She'd read about it, imagined it, but never had Gabriella pictured sex like this. Sex to her was just something that teenagers experimented with to make themselves feel good. She never really understood. Now, she did. Sex was when two people became one.

"Troy…" She whispered, mesmerized as he was brought to his point of rapture, taking her with him as he collapsed on top of her, his chest heaving with deep breaths. Her fingers buried themselves in his damp strands of hair, his face nuzzling into her neck.

"You're going to be ok," He mumbled breathlessly into her skin.

"I know."

* * *

"Rise and shine, sleepyheads!" Sharpay tried to rouse the two sound asleep teenagers by shaking the tent.

"Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey!" Chad called from the near distance, the sound of a crackling fire going enticing Troy to slowly regain consciousness.

His eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the bright light of the new day. Sighing, he felt a wide grin spread on his face, the weight of Gabriella draped across his chest as his arms remained wrapped tightly around her waist. He ducked his head back into her loose curls, taking in her scent as his hands trailed up her bare back, noticing the slight shift of her body as she slept without a care.

"Gabi…" He whispered, sweeping her hair away from her neck so that he could replace it with his lips, sliding across the sensitive tendons.

"Hmm…"

"Wake up," Troy said, keeping his voice hushed. He laughed lightly as she shook her head, choosing to hold her closer to him, his legs already tangled with her own. "I gotta get up," He informed, though it was far from what he truly wanted. But he knew that he remained laying with her the way that he was, he'd have a little problem…one that was already beginning to stir up below.

Finally, Gabriella lifted her head to look up and into Troy's ocean eyes. "Good morning," She said, her voice hoarse and scratchy.

Kissing the tip of her nose, he rubbed her back. "Morning."

"I said get up!" Sharpay shouted from outside. "Good God, you would think that if someone was cooking for you, the least thing you could do is not be _rude_," She huffed dramatically, causing Gabriella and Troy to roll their eyes simultaneously.

"Who is going out first?" Troy asked with no intention of moving from the position he was in.

"You are," Gabriella stated firmly, her eyes begging him to listen to her.

"Ok." He kissed her once more, rising from underneath the sleeping bag that they had managed to wrap around the both of them. Searching the tent floor, Troy slipped his clothes back on, running a shaking hand through his disheveled hair.

Gabriella waited for her cue.

"Well don't you look lovely," Sharpay gushed sarcastically, clapping her hands together. "Were you attacked by a raccoon in your sleep?"

"Ha ha," Troy said dryly, taking his spot on a fold out chair set up near the fire.

"Where is Gab?" Chad questioned and she groaned, pulling her hair up into a sloppy bun atop her head, wiggling her clothes back on with little effort, feeling as though she would not be able to move due to the pain in-between her thighs. Unsteadily, she rose to her feet, stumbling out of the tent. She wondered if she appeared as swollen as she felt.

Sharpay laughed. "What a great morning."

Chad joined in, neither of them paying attention as Gabriella limped to the chair furthest from Troy whose eyes were wide with concern. Gabriella did not even try to make out the words that he mouthed to her.

"You both look like complete shit," Chad stated as he offered both Gabriella and Troy a plate of eggs. Sharpay watched in amusement as Gabriella scarfed down the food quicker than she had seen her eat anything in her entire lifetime of knowing her.

"Slow down, tiger," the blonde said with an uneasy laugh, searching her boyfriend's eyes for answers but he simply shrugged.

Gabriella tried to pay little attention to the three pairs of eyes that studied her cautiously, wondering if she was alright.

"You do not look so good," Sharpay finally commented. "I was about to go head up to the bathrooms after this to take a shower, do you want to come with?"

Gabriella nodded eagerly, wondering if the hot water of a shower would make her legs feel any better.

Chad cleared away her plate when she was finished eating, patting her on the shoulder. "You ok, Gab?" He asked, always one who considered her a younger sister.

"Yeah, I'm just really tired."

"Are you sure?" Troy chimed in the conversation, his eyes filled with worry as he wanted nothing more than to still be holding her in his arms.

"I'm fine, thanks." She stood slowly, keeping herself from wincing. Following Sharpay who had already gathered their shower bags, ready to take the path to the bathrooms, Gabriella waved to the two boys who watched her leave with curiosity.

* * *

There was an eerie silence that filled over the campsite when both Sharpay and Gabriella left. Chad sat in the chair opposite of Troy, his eyes fixated on him as he was too busy eating to even notice his friend's intense stare.

"So…"

Troy's head snapped upright. "So."

"Did you by any chance catch a glimpse of the raccoon leaving the van last night?" Chad asked with a knowing smirk.

Troy coughed, clearing his throat. "Raccoon? In the van? No…"

"Weird," Chad let out a long exaggerated sigh. "He only got away with a condom. Funny."

"Chad, I-"

"I knew it! You had sex written allover your face when you got out of the tent. You were practically soaring. This is gold," Chad laughed, satisfied that he was able to put the puzzle pieces together. "Was it that good?"

"Chad."

"What?! We have talked about this before."

"But this is different," Troy said, his face deadpanned.

Chad's mouth opened in a gape. "How? It's Ga…oh sick. My little sister." Just like that, his posture turned from joking to as serious as a heart attack. He jumped from his seat, pacing back and forth. "I will kill you the second I find out you hurt her…"

"Whoa! Slow down. I am your best friend, too. And you know that I would never hurt her in that way." Troy said in all honesty, wanting nothing more than to always be the one who kept Gabriella protected.

"Oh yeah?" Chad said sarcastically, testing the waters just to see how serious his friend was.

"Yeah," Troy stated and just like that, he had Chad convinced.

"Don't give me a reason not to believe you."

Troy sighed, running his hand through his hair, taking in a deep breath of the fresh air. "You need to chill."

With those words, Chad plopped back down on the chair he was seated in before his outburst. "This is a lot to take in," he said exasperatedly, sounding like a child confused by a difficult algebraic problem.

* * *

"Did you fall?" Sharpay questioned, noting the slight limp that occurred when Gabriella made weak attempts at walking. "No.." Sharpay answered her own question, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "I do not recall you tripping but you are always clumsy…"

"Shar…I did not fall."

The blonde rolled her eyes and flicked her hair over her shoulder, continuing to tread the trail as they neared the bathroom that had showers you had to pay a quarter to use. This was definitely something she was not going to get used to any time soon.

"So you just woke up this morning and you are sore from waist down? Yeah because that happens. And Troy seemed almost eager to help you up this morning…almost as if he felt guilty." The pieces were slowly coming together in her mind.

"…If I didn't step in he would probably be carrying you the whole way. I swear he looked guilty!" Sharpay fumed, her small fist balling tightly together.

"Shar, you can just drop it there," Gabriella gnawed her bottom lip.

"No! It all makes sense now. What happened when he went back to your tent?"

"Nothing."

"Yeah okay. Are you sure he did not go all Chris Brown?"

"What?! No!" Gabriella shouted in disbelief, knowing that Troy would never hurt her like that in any way.

"Then…oh ..OH. OH MY GOD. Why didn't you say anything?!" The blonde nearly squealed.

Gabriella looked down at the ground, her face going a light shade of red. "It's not something you bring up in a casual conversation."

"Wait, let me get this straight…you let Troy take your virginity?" Gabriella shushed her, looking around to make sure that no one had heard her. "Your best friend since you were five?" Gabriella nodded. "Did he know he was your first?" Gabriella nodded again, guilty as charged. The blonde clapped her hands together as if this were some big celebration only lacking candles and balloons. "This is so cute I could cry."

"Shar."

"What? You should be glowing right now. You have wanted this for so long…"

"I know I did," Gabriella sighed. "I just don't know what he really wants."

"Gabriella? Are you serious? Now the looks on his face this morning make much more sense. He wanted to pounce you like you were some sort of prey…"

"Shar!"

"Guarantee he follows you around like a puppy all day."

Gabriella shook her head, opening the bathroom door and stepping inside the steamy air. "No…"

"Guarantee it."


	5. Breathe

**"It's two a.m.  
Feelin' like I just lost a friend.  
Hope you know this ain't easy,  
Easy for me.  
And we know it's never simple, never easy.  
Never a clean break, no one here to save me.  
Ohh I can't  
_Breathe_  
Without you, but I have to."**

**TAYLOR SWIFT, BREATHE**

After a fresh shower that was able to lift the clutter from her mind, Gabriella felt as if she was ready for a brand new start. She still was uncertain if Troy wanted the same, though. A brand new start. They could be so much...they could be everything that she had ever wanted. They could have everything, they could be them; together without any obstacle in their way. This usually came so easily for her- reading Troy's mind was a skill that she had always possessed. And now, Gabriella felt as though everything had been flip turned upside down.

The two teenage girls remained silent as they trudged down the dirt road toward their campsite. Sharpay of course had tried to press the matter, wanting every single detail of the night before but Gabriella's lips were sealed. Every so often Sharpay would steal glances in Gabriella's direction, trying to figure out the inner-workings of her best friend. No such luck. There were too many questions running through both teenagers heads; questions that neither dared to speak aloud.

"So..." Sharpay broke the silence, her eyebrows raising with whatever she was about to imply. "What do you think the rest of this camping trip is going to be like?"

Gabriella knew what she was getting at. She knew that she was indirectly asking if she and Troy were going to be...

"I'm just confused by this whole setup," the blonde began to ramble as she always did when she was trying to be underhanded. Gabriella saw right through this false pretense even if Sharpay truly believed she was being sly. They both were wondering the same thing; would things be different between her and Troy? Gabriella had been waiting for years for this day to come into consideration but now that it was present and actually happening, she was not sure which way to turn. If things changed, what would happen? What if they fought, got into some kind of full blown argument and unlike their troubles when they were fifteen...they simply never got over it?

She believed that she could never be without him, even if something terrible came between them. Sure, they did not always get along. But she would always need him. The only thought that persistently lingered in the back of her mind was that he did not need her. Over the years, she had convinced herself that if Troy thought he needed her, this was simply because he did not know any other way. He was so used to having her around because she had been since they were five. But Gabriella knew that if anything happened, he would be perfectly fine without her.

He was Troy Bolton. And Troy Bolton was invincible.

"I'm confused, too," Gabriella finally responded with the most honest thing she had said all morning.

"Well...what do you think Troy wants?"

Gabriella pondered this for a moment, her steps slowing as she recognized their location, knowing that they were close to the campsite. This meant that they were close to him and she did not know how to react when she saw his face again. She was ready to stall for time for as long as she could. "I think Troy's a boy, aboy who saw sex dangling in front of his face and jumped at the chance."

This statement made Gabriella's eyes close immediately. Now that she had spoken the words, it made the possibility all the more true to her. That's all it meant to him when it meant so much more to her. She would rather face it now than have to face it later, in front of him. If he had been the one to speak the words, she did not think she would be able to handle it.

"Oh come_ on_," Sharpay exhaled dramatically. "You cannot honestly believe that!"

Gabriella tried to play it cool with a shrug, acting as though she could not care less.

Sharpay was thrown a line but would not take a bite. "Gab, you're my best friend, right?" She asked, waiting for Gabriella's reassuring nod before continuing. "Then you know I would never ever ever, a thousand pinkie promises..." Gabriella shot her a look that clearly said 'just get on with it'. Catching Gabriella's beady eyes, Sharpay coughed, "...ever lie to you?"

"I know."

The words were earnest as the truth hung there as a promise...like a security blanket that a young child refused to put down, carrying it around for years.

"Then believe me when I say that Troy did not think about it as 'just sex'," She stated with air quotations.

No matter how strong Sharpay's argument was, the thought would remain in her mind like an insidious poison spreading throughout the very core of her thoughts. As much as she tried to fight it off, Gabriella knew that a part of her was going to imagine that Troy took advantage of a vulnerable moment. Even if she did not want to believe that that was the case.

"Just...wait it off?" Sharpay suggested when she caught on to Gabriella's glossy stare, knowing that she was no longer with her- somewhere in her own world instead. "I mean, give it time, let it mull over," She babbled on waiting to regain her best friend's attention.

"Mhm," Gabriella absentmindedly agreed.

Sharpay contemplated on snapping her fingers in front of Gabriella's face but resisted the urge and instead, spoke her mind aloud. "What are you thinking about?"

"Miles." Her reply came quick, almost instantly which caught the blonde off guard, causing her to stop walking and scrunch her eyes brows together in pure confusion.

"Why? Do you like him or something? This is crazy, this is insane Gabriella!" Sharpay's expression became hysterical as she relayed the possibilities in her jumbled mind. "This is some Romeo and Juliet shit playing out here. A forbidden love triangle...I can just hear people's whispers already," She dramatized, her mouth hanging agape at the revelation she believed she had stumbled upon.

Finally snapping out of her stupor, Gabriella shook her head vigorously. "No!" She held back on all the insults hanging on her tongue, wishing Sharpay realized how moronic she had sounded. "Miles, he's coming this way right now."

"Oh..." Clearly she was dumbfounded as she followed the gaze of Gabriella until she recognized the boy who had captured her attention.

Gabriella watched as he approached them, almost cautiously as if he were expecting either Chad or Troy to pop out and chase him in the opposite direction. She knew that Miles was different than most of the typical basketball player cliches; cocky and very open about showing it. Instead, he was timid; in a way he was always looking out for something or someone. Maybe he was the leader and captain of the Knight's basketball team, but Gabriella was convinced that he hated his entire image. Despite what Troy or Chad thought of their rival, Gabriella knew that he was a decent guy.

"Hey," He called out once he was in a close enough range so he could be heard. His hand lifted in an awkward wave as he took in Sharpay's disapproving look. She and Gabriella had completely different views of Miles but Gabriella was almost certain that Chad's opinion of Miles had rubbed off on his girlfriend.

Sharpay considered Miles mysterious, or at least he wanted people to think of him this way. She thought that he was a secret manipulator who would connive until he got his way in the end. And she was not about to let anything happen to her best friend.

"What are you doing on this side of the woods?" Sharpay said, her tone sharp and cruel.

"I guess this is why you're referred to as the Ice Princess?" He asked rhetorically, adding in some nervous laughter. Even Miles Harland did not think he was prepared to handle the wrath of Sharpay Evans.

"I guess this is why you're known as a pompous asshole?" She shot back as Gabriella shook her hanging head.

"Hey Miles," She greeted him openly, her voice too warm and friendly for Sharpay's liking. She felt as though she was witnessing a great relationship unfold- that being Troy and Gabriella. She did not want it to be ruined by Miles Harland. Anyone but Miles would suffice.

He shot her one of his famous grins, a grin that would make almost any other girls' knees melt like butter that had been left out in the blistering hot sun. "How was your first night in the wilderness?" He asked, attempting to make friendly conversation.

"Now that's a loaded question," Sharpay mumbled, not even catching Gabriella's death glare because she was looking at the trail ahead of them where she saw a familiar afro. She shook her head, knowing that there was going to be trouble as the two boys who were accompanying them on their camping trip were nearing them. She glanced at Gabriella, trying to see if she had noticed Troy and Chad also but she was too wrapped up in her conversation with Miles. "You're playing with fire," She warned her friend after seeing the heated look on Troy's face, a look that could kill. And he probably wanted to as he could do nothing but watch as Miles touched Gabriella's arm, simply 'inspecting a mosquito bite' that she was complaining about.

Troy was confused. He woke up that morning with everything figured out, the rest of their camping trip playing like an infinite film reel in his head with many nights that would lead to Gabriella waking up in his arms again. He knew exactly what he wanted, exactly what he had been pushing away from since he was fifteen. Always finding himself afraid to embrace how he really felt about the girl who he had grown up beside, Troy never considered that what had happened the night before could actually happen. Of course he had thought about her explicitly as any teenage boy with hormones would and once in awhile allowed his mind to wonder the 'what ifs' but that ship had sailed when he arrived at her doorstep that fateful morning only to discover that she was out with Miles. The same boy who she was looking at now as if...

Why was history repeating himself? Why could he feel rejection deep in the pit of his stomach?

He shook his head. Gabriella could not possibly have feelings for Miles. But then again, with the space that had come between him and Gabriella, he sometimes did not know too much about her life. So he did not understand the true details of Gabriella and Miles' relationship. He was not sure if he even wanted to understand. All he knew is that the girl that he could never erase from his mind, like a permanent tattoo, looked happy and content under the gaze of his rival. Troy was entirely too accustomed to getting his way and this was a fork implanted directly in the road that he had intended on following.

Since the last he saw of Gabriella, sentences that lead into paragraphs and paragraphs turning into pages were racking his brain as he tried to gather up the right words and amount of courage he would need to make things right with her. Once and for all, he wanted to put their past behind them and start over fresh but the more he saw of her with Miles was causing his plans to disintegrate. Suddenly, he felt offended and alone, like a cigarette ash being flicked off and soon forgotten. Before he knew it, he was standing right in front of the group of three, alongside his right hand man, Chad, who was already uncomfortable, having been studying the current situation, the body language of Troy and the stares of his girlfriend that were simply screaming, 'let's get out of here'.

"Hi," Troy was the first to speak up and Gabriella went pale as if she had seen a ghost. Miles looked unphased, almost as if he had become bored since Troy and Chad stepped on to the scene. Sharpay was already tugging on Chad's arm, dragging him away with her after her senses were telling her that Troy and Gabriella needed to be left alone. She was hoping that Miles would follow her good example. Troy's mouth hung open, as if he had something to say but could not speak. His mouth had went dry as he stuffed his hand in one of his jean pockets dejectedly.

"Well, I should get going," Miles offered lamely and Gabriella nodded in a state of shock. "I'll see you around then?" He had meant it to come out as a statement but his pleading eyes and unsure words shaped it into a question. He wanted to see her again but the rigid look on Troy's face told him that Troy was going to do everything in his power to make sure that he would not be seeing her any time soon.

"Sure," Gabriella forced the words and waved goodbye and Miles was washed away, like high tide replacing low tide.

He was speechless, his eyes remaining smoldering nonetheless while Gabriella fiddled with her fingers, finding it much easier than looking up into his eyes. She knew that if she did, she would want to jump into his arms right then and there.

"I-" They both started to speak at the same time. Gabriella's cheeks lit up like a forest fire and Troy scratched the back of his neck that was beginning to become rubbed raw.

"How are you?" Troy asked when he realized that she was not going to be speaking any time soon.

Her answer came as a nod, causing her cheeks to become impossibly hotter than they were before. "I mean, I'm good," She corrected herself and pulled her hands behind her back to cease their fumbling.

"Good."

The silence was tearing her apart as she anxiously gnawed on her bottom lip. "Troy, I-"

"Hoops!" Chad called from further down the trail as Sharpay tried to whack his arm but instead hit him directly in the gut, nearly knocking the wind out of him and causing him to double over.

"I told you to give them a little more time," She hissed at her boyfriend for his naivety, not even checking his status to see if he was alright.

"When my friend looks like he needs a save, I'm going to give him one," Chad gasped in pain that he was unaware she could inflict on him.

Troy and Gabriella watched the scene in front of them in bewilderment and amusement but neither could even muster a laugh. The air however became less tense and therefore, Chad's pain had served its purpose.

"Anyway, before I was rudely interrupted," Chad called out to them, "I was going to tell you that we're going back to the site to get changed and then going to the lake."

"Sounds like a great idea," Gabriella shouted back. She couldn't get out of there sooner.

* * *

"What was that all about!" Sharpay exclaimed once the boys could not hear them. Both she and Gabriella were lounging in the middle of the lake on a dock, the harsh sun rays distracting all four of the teenagers from reality.

Sharpay had counted on Gabriella continuing to be jarred up and emotionless but now with Troy out of earshot, Gabriella looked as though she were going to burst. "I don't know! Miles came out of nowhere and then so did Troy and then everything seemed to just spiral from there! How is it even possible that all this is happening? I mean, last night..."

Her mind replayed the course of events, a smile fighting its way on to her lips, not going unnoticed by Sharpay who smiled back with glee. "It was great," Gabriella understated. It was amazing, it had been everything she waited for. She had built up the moment for so long that she thought she would be disappointed when it finally happened, due to all her expectations. It defied everything she had originally thought- it was more than she wanted. More than she hoped.

"Then what is stopping you two from being...a thing?" Sharpay asked, excitement in her hazel eyes.

The answer was clear to both of them. Nothing. Nothing was holding her back.

She looked over to where Troy and Chad were pretending to be swimming but she really knew that they were talking and trying to stay on the down low. He returned her stare and quickly looked away as if he was a child who had been caught doing something wrong.

"Shit, she's looking over here," Troy said, his voice hushed.

"Why don't you just try to talk to her? Normally though, no angst," Chad suggested. "I'm sure I can get Sharpay to leave Gabriella and you alone on the dock and you can just do your thing. The longer you put it off the more awkward it's going to become."

"It's never awkward between us," Troy defended even though he knew that his friend was right.

Chad shot him a look and then motioned for Sharpay with his hands. "Alright then, Suave. Go do your thing."

"What?" Troy sunk lower into the depth of the lake's waters until only his eyes were poking over the surface, trying to shield himself.

"Go get your girl," Chad urged and then swam away, leaving Troy with nothing but his thoughts.

Finally, after Sharpay had climbed off the dock and back into the murky water, much to her disliking, Troy treaded until he reached the wooden surface, hoisting himself over its edge.

"Are we going to try this again?" Gabriella asked, this time with a newfound confidence in her voice. Her eyes took in his stance as he settled into a sitting position next to her. His hair was dripping with water, his body practically glimmering as the sunlight hit him. But to her, Troy had always looked flawless.

"We wouldn't have to if it wasn't for Harland," He said, the name leaving a sour taste in his mouth. Troy had not meant to come off as snide as he had but now it was word vomit- something he could not take back. And he could tell that the words had wounded her momentarily before she regained her confidence.

"We were just talking, he said 'hey', that was all."

"But his eyes were saying so much more."

Silence overtook them once again as Troy swallowed, trying to aid his scratchy throat.

She wanted him to get over this, whatever it was. She thought of it as a minor dent in his ego. He was just jealous because she was talking to someone who played for a team that he despised. That had to be it, she assured herself in her head until she felt a throbbing pain there, her eyes clenching as they closed.

"We were just talking," She said again, this time her voice was stronger.

"Yeah, and we didn't fuck last night," He said sarcastically, the words cutting into her like razorblades. Instantly, he regretted his words as she glared at him, her eyes so intense that he thought he was going to double over, just as Chad had earlier. Her glare dissipated from anger to pain almost immediately but she looked away to hide the tears that were welling up in her eyes. She was doing everything she could to fight off the phrase 'I told you so' from entering her mind. He thought of it as only a one night stand, and that's all she would be to him. But he was her world. She turned back towards him with fire flickering in her irises when she regained her strength that had faltered.

"So what?" She found the power within her to say, making it seem as though she cared just about the same amount as she thought he did.

"What do you mean so what?" He spat back. He thought that the night prior was a huge milestone and now he was finding out that she did not think the same. Troy refused to show any sign of hurt. He would not let Gabriella Montez get the best of him. Not this time.

She rolled her eyes, putting up a front which was proving to be much more difficult than she believed it would be from the start. "It means exactly what you think it means."

"It meant nothing to you," Troy stated. This was the confirmation that he needed, the confirmation that would lead him get over her. This was the finale, the sign that he was waiting for that would prove to him that he was not making a mistake by not pursuing a relationship with Gabriella.

It took everything she had to nod her answer and as she did, everything crumbled like a piece of paper being tossed into an overloading trash bin of ideas but instead, hitting the side and becoming nothing but waste in a forgotten corner of a room. When she looked back on this day, she wanted to remember that she had tried. She wanted to remember that she did not just give up. Troy did not want her and that all there was to it.

"Good, because I didn't want you to think that it meant anything more..." Troy retorted, his words filled with resent.

"I just didn't want to be a virgin going into my freshman year at college," She said with a shrug, with the intention to hurt him as he was hurting her. He showed no change in emotion, his face keeping its same serious posture which was pushing Gabriella over the edge even more. She stood up on the unstable dock, needing to flee, needing to be away from him so that she could finally breathe again. She took off with a dive, her tears mixing in with the water of the lake so that they could be unseen. She would not let him see her break. She could not deal with this all over again. Her limbs felt weak as she swam to the shore, collecting her towel and belongings, she left the scene of the crime.

And now it was Troy's turn to feel the same way she had three days ago. He felt as though someone and picked up his world and shook it like a snow globe. Squinting, Troy looked up into the direction of the blazing sun which finally forced his eyes shut, one lone tear escaping before he ripped his eyes open to reality.

And he was alone.


	6. Never Too Late

**"The world we knew won't come back**  
**The time we've lost can't get back**  
**The life we had won't be ours again"**

**THREE DAYS GRACE, NEVER TOO LATE**

Life was never really as easy as she wished it to be. For the past three years she had hoped every day that she could wake up one morning and forget everything that haunted her dreams at night. He was a plague that spread through her and made her feel as if she were dying, leaving in ache beneath her chest. And it tortured her as she grudgingly harbored feelings of both hatred and love, with the initial thought that maybe in some parallel universe a remote that rewinded past mistakes existed.

At times she hated him with every fiber of her being. From an outsider's perspective, he appeared to be simple cliche; the cocky jock with striking features that had girls easily lining up to fall in love only to be rewarded with broken hearts in the end. But she knew better. Shew knew how complex he could be and when that side of him shined through, it had the ability to stun her. He was her world, wrapped up in one single person. She _wanted _to hate him for it but even after all they had been through, friends or conquests, she knew she would never be able to. Her heart hurt but she accepted that there wasn't an easy solution as to how to begin healing.

The crackle of the fire was one of the few noises that could be heard other than Sharpay's intentional heavy breathing.

"Hmm."

She was answered only by silence. "_Hmm_," she repeated the humming noise even louder, her eyes wide as she looked at her feet as if they had become detached from the rest of her body.

"Have I mentioned today that I hate wearing sneakers?" She seemed to be growing impatient when no one answered her question. "What's a girl to do though, right?" Sharpay looked over at Gabriella for support but found none. It pained her to watch her friend whose eyes were glazed over as she remained in her own personal funk, the one she had been the entire day since the lake incident.

"That's it!" She snapped as she hopped up from the fold up chair she had been sitting in for what felt like hours. "We're all going out. I don't care what anyone says!" Her voice was beyond desperate, having finally cracked after talking to herself the entire night while Chad pretended to be too distracted by the woods surrounding them. Troy had wandered off no less than twenty minutes ago in search for some kindling and they knew that as soon as he arrived back, everything would settle into the usual awkwardness that had crept over them for the past few hours.

Finally, Chad cleared his throat, breaking his distant stare into the treetops. "What are you suggesting we do? We're at a campground."

Throwing her hands up, Sharpay huffed. "Anything is better than this! Would you rather mope around or go out and make the best of this vacation? I won't be able to deal with this for one more day, let alone two whole weeks."

"Shar-"

"No, Chad. Don't '_Shar'_ me." The heat and outdoors had officially gotten to her head. "This is all because of your asshole friend!"

Chad glared dangerously, not wanting to get in the middle of any form of argument between his friends. Troy had been his boy since they were in kindergarten but Gabriella had always been his kid sister. In his heart, he wanted to believe that Troy would never say or do anything to intentionally hurt Gabriella but the only other option was to believe that Gabriella was at fault. Either way, there was no compromising. He could not choose sides and he knew that there was surely going to be trouble if Sharpay was so easily swayed to one side.

"Hey, can we please stop with the name calling?" He requested calmly. Sharpay's eyes narrowed, ready for a challenge but she bit her tongue instead, not wanting there to be another couple fighting, though she knew Troy and Gabriella's relationship status was nowhere near being a couple.

"Fine," she said shortly but the edge in her voice had definitely faded. "I just don't understand how everything could go so wrong. Did you see the way they were looking at each other this morning? Completely head over heels. How is it possible for everything to just...to just," she stumbled on her words as her emotions got the best of her like always, forgetting for a moment that Gabriella was still right beside them, hearing the exchange between the flustered couple.

Chad rolled his eyes as Sharpay's face when into her hands that were leaning on her lap. She was curled over as she sniffled. Nevertheless, he paced over to where she was sitting to console her while shooting a pleading look in Gabriella's direction. Luckily, she caught on and blinked incredulously- her eyes had become so dry it was almost painful, like the scraping of sandpaper.

"Snap out of it," Gabriella said lightly. "I'm fine. Troy's fine. We're all going to be fine."

"See? Everything's fine babe," Chad joined in.

"We just might need to switch tents," Gabriella directed at Chad before trying to laugh but failed miserably.

Chad nodded eagerly, his hand never once resisting its gentle rubbing on his girlfriend's back. "That'd be no problem, Gab."

"Can we at least venture out?" her voice was muffled as she lifted her head from where it was cradled in her lap.

"Where?"

"Anywhere," Sharpay answered him.

"We're kind of limited," Gabriella added.

The blonde shook her head vigorously. "No, knowing us we're bound to find something."

Chad sighed and kicked at the dirt. "Babe, I don't think that's the best idea."

"What's not the best idea?" Troy asked with perfect timing as he dropped a hefty pile of leaves and small twigs.

"I'm trying to get Chad to take us all out."

"_All_?" He glanced quickly in Gabriella's direction but she avoided his gaze completely.

"Yes," her tone was clear and final.

* * *

She would be lying if she ever said that this was not what she had up her sleeve all along. From the moment that Chad agreed to "venture" off the campground, Sharpay knew that phase one was complete. And now from the look that she saw transfixed in Troy's eyes, she knew that phase two was well underway. Immediately after everyone decided that going out might be the best idea, Sharpay clapped gleefully, dragging Gabriella with her to prepare for the evening festivities.

The outfit that she had chosen for her best friend had been envisioned like any masterpiece. The tank top had been her own but she was more than willing to let Gabriella borrow it. After all, she was a girl with a plan. She could not fight the cheeky, I'm-so-smart-smile from curling her lips as she admired the way Gabriella danced freely and happily, evoking the attention from nearly every man within a fifty-foot radius. Gabriella sported a tight tank top that was made of a black lace material rode up her waist with every movement she made, exposing her tan and toned midriff. She wore white shorts that had frayed edges, complaining every second she tugged them down lower on her legs, commenting that they were much too short for her liking. Of course she had been right, but Sharpay would never have told her that.

Gabriella was Sharpay's personal work of art and she had to admit...she looked hot. If it were not for the boy she loved by her side, Sharpay might have even been jealous of all the appraising looks that Gabriella was receiving.

She was trying to remember a time that she was more proud of herself as she watched her plan fall perfectly in place without her barely having to lift a finger. Sharpay got to watch and observe from the sidelines.

Finding a nearby club that wasn't too bad for being literally in the middle of nowhere, had not been planned on. She also had not contemplated what they would have done if they were not let in so easily. Not a single ID was asked for. She guessed being in the middle of the woods paid off sometimes.

"Fuck," Troy groaned, hitting his head against the table of the cushioned booth he was sitting in. This earned the attention of both Chad and Sharpay.

"What?" Sharpay asked innocently.

"Just well.._fuck_," Troy gestured towards the girl on the dance floor, one he barely recognized. "Why the hell didn't I notice that she has her bellybutton pierced?" He hissed, his voice barely audible.

Sharpay shrugged, her smile still beaming radiantly. "Sometimes you don't always look to see, young grasshopper."

"Who wants to see a tease?" Troy shot back.

Chad shook his head, a whistle letting loose through his teeth. "Doesn't look like she's teasing anyone, Bolton."

_Easy for you to say_, he wanted to retort but did not find the strength to do so. He knew that it was insanely easy for Chad to say simply because Chad didn't know, and would never know how it felt to have Gabriella Montez even if it only was for a moment.

Sharpay let out a longwinded sigh before a devious smile spread across her features. "You know...you could always just ask her to dance," she stated in her best sing-song voice, only earning an eye roll from him. But he still continued to stare, never once looking away from her. He was captivated by the way she moved, the carefree smile and dangerous glint in her eye. She _had _to know that she was driving him crazy.

"Yeah and that's probably exactly what she wants so that she can deny me in front of everyone," Troy muttered under his breath.

She frowned because after all, this was her entire doing. She was forced to sit back and watch as his insecurities were breaking down his tough exterior and it almost made her want to bite back laughter. If only they could both see themselves now, she thought to herself. The two teens who were entirely too oblivious to see what was right in front of their eyes- they had switched roles. Gabriella had pined for Troy for years and now from the looks of it, he was transfixed on her. It was too good for words.

"You've got to be joking..." her voice was dripping with agitation. "You both are so damn annoying I could literally bang my head against this table...multiple times."

Troy's attention deviated from Gabriella's dancing form, settling on the blonde who had a scowl on her face. "What's your problem?"

_Hmm_, Sharpay's mind raced upon hearing the loaded question. There were simply too many answers that could be supplied. The drive down and their first night at the campground had both been uncomfortable nights of sleep. Everyone knew to beware when the drama princess had not slept properly. She missed her shower at home that did not require paying quarters in order to get the water to run for approximately five minutes before it shut off, making he have to leave the stall to place another coin in. Her usual forty-minute showers were _a lot_ less enjoyable. On top of all that, she had expected two weeks of nonstop _friendly_ time with her boyfriend. With the end of senior year and graduation, both of their schedules had gotten hectic. It had been awhile before she had been fully satisfied. And then that left the Troy and Gabriella situation. She wished that she could snap her fingers and the two could kiss and makeup.

"You love her," she sighed, her hand brushing against Chad's underneath the table. They sat close together, their thighs pressed against another's but neither complained. After feeling the light touch of her fingertips by his, Chad laced their hands together, resting the joined hands on his lap.

Troy remained silent. He watched as Gabriella easily gained the attention of anyone who looked her way. Dark curls fell perfectly down her back, in spite of the sticky heat and her skin glowed having been touched by the sun from spending the day outside. Just the sight of her awakened him and stirred up a reaction. He could never look at her the same way again without envisioning her underneath him, looking into his eyes the way she had when she barely uttered the words, 'take me'.

"Do you think they'd serve us drinks here?" Troy wondered out loud, knowing that alcohol was the perfect solution for taking this type of edge off.

Shrugging slightly, Sharpay's eyes wandered to the bar where she scoped out the bartender who looked friendly and easygoing. "They let us in, didn't they?"

**Maybe we'll turn it around 'cause it's not too late**  
**It's never too late**


End file.
